Khojin Dortharl
Character introduction: Standing before you is a pale, blue haired Au Ra girl. She fidgets nervously in the shadows, but when she feels your eyes on her she stills, like a clear woodland pool. As she steps into the light, her pale skin and slight body makes her look like a delicate, porcelain doll—although there are not many dolls wearing bloodstained leather armour, or with multiple, heavily chipped weapons strapped to their back. “Greetings,” she says, dipping into a shallow bow, hands held over her heart. Her smile doesn’t quite reach her hollow, pale eyes, enhancing her doll like appearance. “My name is Khojin. And you are…?” Personality: On first meeting, Khojin appears to be a polite and sweet young girl, styled in the vein of the famed nadeshiko beauties of the east. She is soft spoken, and deferential to authority and experience. However, she is neither submissive nor a doormat, and will act independently if she believes it is right. It is often joked she is more Raen than Xaela, and many wonder how an infamously violent tribe as the Dortharl produced such a mild mannered girl. In combat or times of stress, however, her true self emerges. Consumed by a curse known as the Black Rage, she transforms into a vicious, mindless beast, cleaving all before her in a whirlwind of blood and violence. The devastation she leaves in her wake is enough to unsettle even the most hardened warrior. It is only by the strength of her will that she is able to retain a semblance of sanity and refrain from turning her blade upon her companions. Khojin only has a few hazy memories of her childhood, and they all contain violence in one manner or another—even the recollection of a gentle, motherly embrace is soaked in blood. As such she is surprisingly ignorant of the ways of both her clan and her people. Despite this, she refuses to fight alone, knowing that it is only the idea of serving another that grants her this self control. Her greatest fear—and possibly her greatest desire—is to let go of all obligations and indulge in wanton bloodshed. Story: The Steppe The Dortharl clan is one of the smaller clans of the Azim Steppe, although no less feared for it. The undying ones are said to be fearless, causing them to throw themselves into battle headless of the threat of injury or death. Dortharl tradition states that each infant is in fact the reincarnation of a mighty warrior. Children of the tribe are granted the same name as their prior incarnation to strengthen the sense of continuation of the soul though mortal vessels. The current Khojin is the 5th significant incarnation of a once-great hunter—a slayer of men and beasts known as the Black Khan, infamous for the black rages that consumed their reason. The Black Khan has a dark history, one that nearly drove the Dortharl to extinction—twice. Many of the sages feared that Khojin's return would herald a third conflict that would end the Dortharl. Whilst none in the clan fear war, many understand the need to ensure the next generation, so that great warriors had vessels to return to. An extinction could not be chanced. As such, Khojin's existence was kept hidden—even from herself. Separated from the other children, she never learned of her past lives or her role in the clan, only that she was hated and despised. Eventually, an unrelated, bloody fight broke out within the clan, claiming the lives of several warriors, including Khojin's parents. Khojin, now alone, attempted to scavenge food from the stores, but was caught. The sages, unimpeded by sentiment, claimed that the Black Khan was more trouble than she was worth and exiled her from the clan. She doesn't remember when or why she was exiled, only that her solitary existence reduced her to the level of a savage beast, prowling the wild lands of the east—often to the detriment of the other inhabitants of the Steppe. For many years, legends of a wild warrior who wandered the steppe circulated, but few knew where this savage slayer of beasts came from. The Coliseum Shortly after the Calamity—an event she has no memory of—she was captured by slavers. Attempts to tame and control her failed—often violently—but she proved a popular attraction in illicit life-or-death gladiatorial matches in Hingashi. More than one easterner won his fortune gambling on her fights. In order to survive, she trained herself in the way of the gladiator, taking the sword and shield from her first opponent, adopting the arms into her savage combat style. Many of the other slaves feared to associate with the half wild savage of the steppe, for she had attacked many guards, and showed no mercy in the ring. An aging Hrothgar took the young hunter under his wing, however. Under his guidance, Khojin began to appear almost Human again. The Hrothgar taught her many skills, including the art of the gunblade—skills she was forced to use when she was set against him on the coliseum sands. His death at her hands drove her back into a pit of despair. Eorzea It was an Ul'dah merchant prince that brought her to Eorzea, hoping to display her in the recently reopened Halatali Coliseum. However, during the voyage west, she broke her bonds and ran wild on the ship. In the time it took for the crew to subdue her, she had killed several, and damaged vital parts of the ship. Still, the damage was not so great that the ship could not have limped to port—had a storm not fallen upon the ship. Wrecked by the fury of the ocean, it sank, all hands and cargo lost—all but one. On the aptly named Bloodshore of Costa Del Sol, Maelstrom recruits combing the wreckage came across the limp form of a young girl—a girl who, despite her injuries, tried to attack them. Curious Gorge and Broken Mountain, training the Maelstrom recruits in the way of the warrior, recognised the Black Rage within Khojin as being similar to their own Inner Beast. Together, using the teachings of their ancestors, they tamed the rage within Khojin—and to their surprise, discovered a sweet young girl where only violence and savagery had once existed. Where this gentle personality had come from, not even Khojin could say. It certainly hadn't come from her life as a gladiator or a steppe hunter. For Khojin, it was a rebirth, and for the first time she had a sense of self—an identity outside of endless violence and bloodshed. She was determined to make the most of it, to create a new life for herself in Eorzea—the land that freed her from the rage within. Taking up the axe, she travelled to Limsa Lominsa, enjoying the beauty of the land for the first time, and enlisted with the Maelstrom. Whilst she was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, easily calling upon her tamed rage for strength, off the battlefield she found herself constrained by the (admittedly lax) discipline of the pirate army, and realised that by enlisting she had simply traded one set of restraints for another. The freedom of the adventurers life—where she might fight freely for the people of Eorzea—beckoned. It was during her wandering in the wilds of Coerthas that she came upon a priest of Ishgard. Whilst the finer points of the doctrine of the church passed over her head, due, in part, to her inability to read, she came to love and adore the Goddess Halone, the Fury. Returning to the sword and shield of her gladiatorial days, she sought to emulate the proud and noble ways of the Temple Knights, swearing the Paladin's Oath to serve Eorzea. But her heart was broken by the temple knights corruption, arrogance and selfishness. Despondent, she wandered deep into a snowstorm, wrestling with her newfound beliefs—a battle that quickly turned literal, as her own shadow rose from the ground. With her fragile sanity on the line, Khojin battled for days against the manifestation of her own darkness. When the snowstorm abated, Khojin found herself alone—covered in blood, her shield split in two. To this day, she is still unsure if the battle was real, or a delusion created by a broken mind. But from that moment forth, in the depths of her soul, she could feel the leash on her Black Rage weaken. What purity of purpose she once had in defending the people of Eorza was now tainted. With the black rage now battling for dominance within her soul, crying out for blood, Khojin's sanity is under assault like never before. Hoping to drown out the rage, she threw herself into the dying remnants of the Dragonsong war as a mercenary, battling Nidhogg's minions throughout Coerthas. Stumbling from conflict to inflict, she attempted to satiate the rage with the blood of monsters. But with the end of that brutal conflict, she finds herself bereft of battles. Now she wandered the wilds of Eorzea, just as she once wandered the steppe, slaying monster after monster as she seeks a purpose. The legend of a blood soaked monster hunter follows in her wake, praising her as a hero—but she knows it is a lie, that the Black Rage cares not for whose blood she spills. During one battle against a savage monster, she claimed a gunblade from a fallen adventurer. Hoping the sophisticated weapon of her former mentor would keep her in rage check, she added it to her combat style. Sword and shield, axe, great sword and now a gunblade, she wields the weapons of Eorzea's guardians, blunting her blind rage behind a need to defend. Only by dedicating herself to the duty of protection can she maintain her sanity, but it is a fragile thread. Each morning, she catches herself looking eastwards, to the place she was born. Perhaps the answers to her broken soul can be found there, she wonders. But before she heads east, she knows she'll need companions—to guide her, control her, and if need be, to cut her down. Incarnations: The current Khojin is the 5th significant incarnation of the original Khojin, a great hunter—a slayer of beasts—with an infamous legend. The First The first incarnation—the first to carry the name—exists so far back in time their history is more myth than truth. It is said they were a mighty warrior, who felled all manner of terrifying beasts in defense of the tribe. However, it is said that this mighty hunter had a temper as terrible as the beasts they hunted, and all lived in fear of the black rage that overtook them. It is unknown how this warrior perished—for a while it was tradition for storytellers to create their own ending to the story, each more gruesome than the last. The Second The second significant incarnation—known in legend as the Maiden of the Bloodmoon—was abducted by the Oronir as a child. Raised as the 'Nhaama'—a Moon Bride—of a great warrior, her instincts as a hunter were suppressed and replaced by grace and elegance. On the third night of her marriage, her husband—a crude and brutish man—brought his new bride on a hunt. It was there, surrounded by the smells of death, blood and contest, that Khojin's true nature reasserted itself. It is said that none—including Khojin herself—survived that fateful day. The Third Many generations passed, and whilst Khojin returned several times, their skill at the hunt was merely competent. Many worried that Khojin's soul had been broken by their captivity under the Oronir, but soon those fears were laid to rest. A boy was born who's skill with the axe rivaled even the warriors of legend. Many beasts were felled by this incarnation, and once again the name of Khojin rang around the steppe. It was during the Naadam that this young warrior won more than just renown, seizing the sacred soil and becoming Khan of all the steppe. The Dortharl celebrated their ascendency, but this did not last long. Khojin quickly developed a reputation as a cruel and tyrannical Khan. The Black Khan, as he was known, demanded unreasonable tributes and exacted unjust punishments on those that failed to please him. It is said that the moon wept from the blood that soaked the steppe during his reign, and that even the undying Dortharl—bravest of the clans—avoided their vicious Khan. When the next Naadam came, many clans joined together in alliance, seeking to bring low the Black Khan, but Khojin was a fierce warrior, and slew many of his opponents. However, rage is no defence against the trickery of poison, and soon he was slain, his broken body left for the scavengers of the steppe. The Fourth Time passed, and the Dortharl sired several great hunters, but none bore the name of Khojin. Many wondered if the Black Khan would return—and if such a thing should be welcomed or dreaded. Would he seek vengeance for his dishonourable defeat at the Naadam? Would the black rage be tempered or inflamed by the poison that slew him? The Dortharl feel no fear or shame, but even they breathed a sigh of relief when a child opened their eyes and was proclaimed to be the return of a more respected hero. But this peace could not last. Soon, a girl was born bearing the signs and features of the Black Khan. Whilst many clans were skeptical of the Dortharl's beliefs, the clan still chose to shroud the child's return in secrecy, for they had lost many warriors, and could not face the full fury of the steppe again. This newest incarnation was tutored as all children of the Dortharl are, and educated in both the glories and crimes of her past selves. To the Dortharl's surprise, this child grew up without falling to the black rage, and instead was quiet, compassionate and had a keen eye for injustice. The sages wondered if this was a redemption for her dark past. But the black rage could not be contained—only channelled. It was during a trip to the market of Reunion that it reappeared. A merchant had played a cruel scam, leaving many destitute and indebted to him—a status he relished. Even the Qestir tribe was powerless against him, for he had broken no rules. But Khojin witnessed this merchants duplicity, and was driven to a righteous anger. Drawing her blade, she struck down the merchant in a frenzy of violence. The merchant's tribe demanded justice, but the Qestir, having seen the truth in Khojin's actions, sided with her. But their protection only extended as far as the walls of their market, and across the steppe the legend of Khojin the Black was being retold. The current Khan—a most superstitious man—feared the return of the Black Khan, and began to summon his warriors. An ultimatum news issued—deliver the head of Khojin, or the Dortharl would be destroyed. The Dortharl celebrated the chance for battle, although they all knew it would be their demise, so Khojin left in the night, to present herself to the Khan. "Take me," she cried, "But spare my clan". But the Khan feared that even if he killed this incarnation, Khojin would return again. The only way to protect himself would be to drive the Dortharl to extinction. As he gave the order to attack, Khojin felt the black rage rise inside her. The Khan and all his men were killed. Retaliation against the Dortharl brutalised the clan, but without the Khan's leadership the war turned into a stalemate, and then a truce. Khojin's body was never found, and many assumed she died fighting the Khan. In truth, she was deeply wounded, and would have died had a passing adventurer not lent his aid. He carried her away to the south, first to Doma, and then to Kugane. There, he healed her and trained her in the ancient art of his order—that of the Dark Knights. Though he was far from his home in Ishguard, he had found a kindred spirit in Khojin's black soul. The life of a Dark Knight is rarely long or happy, but Khojin and the adventurer fell in love, and were content for a time. But eventually, their war against injustice and corruption saw them lose their lives together. Category:Characters Category:Friends